Treshnish and Haunn Cottages

 http://treshnishbirdlog.blogspot.com                                           http://haunnblackhouse.blogspot.com

A CALENDAR FOR TRESHNISH: 

FARMING, WILDLIFE AND THINGS TO DO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Mull Theatre puts on shows throughout the year.  See here for details.

Winter:

Winter can be a special time to visit the island.  For detailed wildlife sightings in winter, look here.

Resident wildlife can almost be easier to spot on empty hills and beaches.  The weather is variable of course, but a classic winter storm can be something to write home about when experienced from the warmth of one of our cottages!  And the still cold crisp days are magical. 

Come prepared for the worst, and be pleasantly surprised! 

November - marks the beginning of the Treshnish farming calendar, in keeping with the start of nature’s annual cycle. 

We move the ewes to the in-bye fields (low ground) to mate with the tups (rams). Sheep grazing at this time of the year helps to tidy up the pasture after the cattle and improves the habitat for next year’s wild flowers. The cows are still out on the hill to benefit from ‘deferred grazing’ found there and keep the grass from getting rank. On sunny south facing slopes, their footprints in the earth help provide suitable habitats for the beautiful  daytime flying Six Spot Burnet Moth. 

A good time for spotting Golden Eagle and Tawny Owl.

November is a peaceful time of year for visitors to the Isle of Mull. You can walk for miles among the hills without seeing another living soul, apart from herds of wild red deer and the blackface sheep.   

At this time of year some of our guests opt for a longer stay, taking advantage of low rents for longer lets.  The quietness of the island, and in particular our location, can be just the right place for contemplation, retreats, work sabbaticals, or just enjoying some peace and quiet!

Why not pick up some early traditional Christmas fayre at the annual Christmas producers market in Dervaig? Return to the warm fireside of your cosy cottage to savour some undisturbed time to read that long awaited book? Even if the late Autumn storms abound, their wild howling gales can be enjoyed from within the warm heart of your holiday home.

December – is usually time for bringing the cows in to the cattle shed to enjoy the luxury of straw and shelter from winter storms.  The hill Blackface sheep are ‘hefted’, which means that as they are born here they learn from their mothers their way around the hill, where to find shelter and water, as a wild animal would.  The Cheviot sheep, living on the in-bye pasture, are moved from field to field, cleaning up the grazing on the grassland after the cattle.

We gather seaweed to scatter as natural fertiliser on our kitchen garden and sometimes for the fields.

A good month for spotting Buzzard and Kittiwake.

The days are much shorter now, meaning you can enjoy the luxury of long evenings by the fireside. Time for putting your feet up and relaxing! 

Enjoy the drama of the winter weather - wild waves crashing against the cliffs of the Treshnish headland, Atlantic rollers coming in on Calgary beach and on cold still sunny days when the air is so clear you can see the Outer Hebrides from the top of the hill and return to the snug tranquillity of your cottage. 

There are good island shops sourcing local produce for Christmas shopping. There are pre Christmas craft fairs around the island and these can be a great opportunity to meet local Mull artists and craftspeople and sample their produce.

January – is when we send the hill ewes back out on the hill, keeping last year’s ewe lambs to winter on the in-bye.   We continue the winter ritual of feeding the animals and checking the hill sheep.  The cattle eat silage made last summer from our conservation 'late cut' summer meadow grasses, supplemented with some ‘nuts’.   The bird feeders in our garden are kept primed, the hens enjoy organic layers mash and continue to scratch up the wintery vegetable garden whenever they get the chance.

The white sands of Calgary Bay remain bright, come storm or shine. New Year can be almost as busy as the summer, with still crisp sunny days and clear azure night skies.  Watch for stars in this almost unbroken dark sky (the only visible street light is the single one on the end of the Pier at Arinagour on the Island of Coll 8 miles across the sea!).

Past Hogmanay, there are few visitors to the island in deep winter, but those who come have the opportunity to enjoy the friendliness of the Mull people living here. 

By mid January you can already begin to notice the days lengthening again, why not toast the New Year with a warming dram of Tobermory malt?

February – marks the time for the cows to begin to calve, wobbly shiny doe eyed newborns are always a wonder to watch.

The fishing boats set off again, you can track the ferry heading out across the sea to Coll and Tiree from your Treshnish cottage doorstep.

There are usually plenty of opportunities for eagle sightings around now.  We often see them near our house and along to Haunn.  In 2010 we put up two Barn Owl nesting boxes to a design recommended by the Barn Owl Trust.  It You can follow their progress on the Treshnish Nature Log website.

We have a few visitors in the cottages, at this time of year, enjoying the winter prices and short break offers available. (Contact us for details!)

Spring:

The island is still quiet at this time of year and the wildlife rewarding.  For sightings in late winter/spring, look here.

March – gives the calves a chance to grow and play in the space of the cattle shed before they go back outdoors.

Any winter work undertaken on the cottages is now complete and our holiday season begins in earnest.

Signs of the approaching Spring are a welcome joy. The grass becomes  slowly greener, bright clumps of yellow primroses appear in sheltered places safely away from grazing sheep.  

This is a good time for enjoying walks along the beach, around the seaweed kelp washed up in mountains from leftover winter storms.  Look for cowrie shells on Calgary sands.  

Tawny Owl and Golden Eagle are nesting and laying their eggs. The Woodcock departs for the summer months. 

April – sets the scene for lambing time. We prepare by bringing the gimmers (pregnant with their first lambs) in from the hill to nearby fields to be looked after.  

There is nothing like taking time to watch the uncoordinated antics of fluffy new lambs playing in the sunshine to remind you that Spring has arrived. 

Why not choose a sunny sheltered spot to sit and take in the view? Or spend some leisurely time searching for tadpoles in Treshnish lochan and the restored pond beside Duill?  You might see the Sea Eagle hunting over the fields below the Treshnish cottages.

Look out for ‘cowped’ (stuck on their back) ewes, if you see one, you can literally save her life by turning her back onto her legs and hold her for 15 seconds to recover before letting go! 

The Wheatear is back singing in its territories, usually preceding the Greenfinch, Linnet, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll and Twite. The Tawny Owl and Golden Eagle chicks are hatching. 

May – is a good month to visit the Treshnish Isles. Cheeky Puffins are breeding in their burrows, popping their heads up to see who is coming. Some migrating birds, the Red Throated Diver and the Great Northern Diver, are still around. 

New leaves and foliage are bursting forth, splashing colour onto trees and bushes. The Primroses are still in bloom and Bluebells carpet the woods, filling the air with their heady sweet scent. 

You can spot the yachts appearing round Treshnish Point on their way to the Treshnish islands.  Lambing finishes and the bull joins the cows and their calves to enjoy the spring grass.  We control where they graze carefully in order to protect ground nesting birds and to allow wild flowers to set seed.   For 6 weeks until the middle of June we do not allow stock into certain fields and in some herb rich fields we do not cut silage until August. 

Look out for the House Martins nesting on the north and east walls of the Treshnish Steading.

Summer:

For summer wildlife sightings, look here.

June – heralds the approach to high summer when the long hours of days of daylight stretch out before you. 

Look out for Burnet Moths.  We find Six Spot, as well as the Transparent, Burnet Moth here.  Keep an eye out for the rare Slender Scotch Burnet moth.

The lambs are growing up, and it is time for shearing last years ewe lambs (hoggs).   Once the hogg is sheared she becomes a gimmer.    Farmers and visitors get together at the Sheep Shearing Competition held annually on a farm in central Mull – watch the speed and expertise with which the ewes are shorn.

Enjoy the late deep pink and orange sunsets that creep up the island of Coll as the days get longer.  You might spot a White Tailed Eagle soaring.  

The air is soft and sweet, the herb rich meadows are full of bright wild flowers – swathes of Bluebells replaced with carpets of Pignut with Yellow Rattle, Buttercups, numerous areas full of the Heath Spotted-orchid as well as the fine Fragrant orchid, Northern Marsh orchid, Greater Butterfly-orchid and very few tiny dainty Small White Orchids.  Brilliant blue Milkwort cling to rocky banks and Sea Pinks bob in the breeze on the shore.  Birds Foot Trefoil, food plant for the Six spot Burnet moth, is in full abundant flower.

July/August – is an eventful time on the island with school holidays in full throe, yet you can still find quiet places to go and hidden beaches to discover.   Family holidays!  Buckets, spades and beach Olympics!   Cooking over a fire on a beach, and mucking about in boats. 

We are busy shearing sheep and making silage on the farm.   The cows enjoy the ‘aftermath’ once the silage is cut, a fresh flush of grass growth.   The stack of bales piled in the ‘stack yard’ signifies the beginning of Autumn for us, the ‘harvest’ safely in and stored for winter. 

Watch out for the Salen Show, the Bunessan Show and the family ceilidh held in the Dervaig village hall.

By late summer, we take the lambs off their mothers and sell them as Quality Assured store lambs or young breeding stock. 

Deep blue and white swallows dip and dive in front of you as you drive along the track to Haunn.   They nest in the farm steading at Treshnish as well as around the Haunn cottages and it is always a delight to watch them in flight.

Devils' Bit Scabious, Field Gentian and Knapweed - vibrant hues of purple and blue - flourish at this time of year in the fields along the track from Treshnish to Haunn. Look for the rare sun-worshipping Field Gentian.

You may spot an Otter playing along the shore at Port Haunn or near the mouth of the Ensay Burn and there is an abundance of butterflies and moths at this time of year.

The hills are carpeted with glorious purple heather.

Autumn:

For wildlife sightings in autumn, look here.

September – must be one of the loveliest months to be on Mull with wonderful opportunities for bird-spotters. 

It is time for us to wean the calves, which are sold as Quality Assured 'store' cattle.  

By the Autumn equinox, although the days have begun to shorten, it is still light at 7.30 in the evening, and the sunsets brush the land in a warm golden glow.  

The Swallows leave for southern climes. 

Why not take a boat trip and enjoy some seal spotting?

October – usually settles into being the quietest time of year on the farm. The farmer gets a holiday!  

The ewes are regaining their good condition on the abundant hill grazing.   

The Autumn light can be magical and clear, with long views north to the Uists.  You might hear the stags roaring during their rut.  You are likely to see groups on the hill here all year round.

A good time for spotting the Heron and Red-throated Diver.

Enjoy the lovely hillside walks to the Cruachan trig point, from where you can see down to Jura in the south. 

For rally lovers, the internationally renowned Mull Rally takes place during the second weekend in October.  Visitors fill the island and the Tobermory pubs erupt into one big party.  This is the only weekend of the year when we might hear traffic noise – but as we are a long way from the centre of events you can come and escape from all the excitements and still enjoy peace and quiet.

                        Treshnish and Haunn Cottages, Treshnish Point, near Calgary, Isle of Mull, PA75 6QX                                                              Tel: +44 (0)1688 400249 or lo-call 0845 458 1971                                                      Email: enquiries@treshnish.co.uk